Expert: Alan Kahn - 5/15/2007

Question
I'm 14 years old and about to purchase a speed bag and begin to train. I was wondering what kind of bag I should get. I weigh 150 lbs

Answer
Hi Dylan,

14 is a great age to start speed bagging!  Actually, your weight has little to do with the speed bag or the equipment you purchase. Most people chose a wallunit a speed bag that is right for their price. The biggest price factor is the board and wallunit. These can be anywhere from $59.00 to $595.00 or more, depending on size, amount of adjustment, and brand. But for many years I used a very simple setup like this: http://store.titleboxing.com/title-classic-speed-bag-platform.html  and did fine.  I was the only one hitting it, so I didn't need to adjust it a lot. I would stick with a 10x6 or smaller bag on this board, since it is only 24 inches diameter. For a larger bag (11x8 or larger) you might want a larger board, which requires a larger, heavier duty setup, like these:
http://store.titleboxing.com/speed-bags-platforms-platforms.html

http://www.balazsboxing.com/cgi-bin/catalog2.cgi?action=page&page=gear|i-box%20s...

or these:  http://www.ringside.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=2381

For a bag, I would start with a good quality leather bag available at any of the websites above.  You should be a able to get a good bag for under $40.00

If possible, I recommend getting two at a time, in case one is problematic or begins to leak, as they are prone to do.

I hope this helps with your speed bag choices, and to learn more, visit Speedbagcentral.com

http://www.speedbagcentral.com/ssp/speed_bag_parts

Good luck and thanks for your question.

sincerely,

Alan Kahn
author, The Speed Bag Bible